Method of forward mounting attachments to a wheeled vehicle

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system and method of securing attachments to a utility vehicle, particularly a stand-on, zero-turn mower. The apparatus includes an A-shaped mounting assembly having a base with first and second ends and a tubular member extending outwardly from the first end. The tubular member defines a bore that receives a shaft extending from the attachment. The mounting assembly is positioned vertically above a mower deck but on an opposite side of the frame of the mower relative thereto. The second end of the mounting assembly and part of the mower deck are secured to the frame using the same connectors. A hydraulic actuator engages a forwardmost end of the assembly and is actuatable to raise or lower the assembly relative to the frame, pivoting the assembly about the connectors. The attachment and mower deck are substantially simultaneously operable to perform separate landscaping tasks while the mower moves across a surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/800,938, filed Nov. 1, 2017, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/955,129 filed Dec. 1, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,820,437, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

This invention relates generally to powered, wheeled vehicles. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus forsecuring a variety of different attachments to a vehicle in a positionforward of an operator. Specifically, this invention is directed to amounting assembly for forward mounting attachments to a mower,particularly a zero-turn mower, where the mounting assembly includes ahydraulically operable A-frame engageable with the mower's frameutilizing some of the same components that mount a deck hanger assemblyfor a mower deck to the frame.

Background Information

Landscapers and other contractors utilize wheeled vehicles to aid themin performing various landscaping tasks. It is known to secureattachments to such vehicles. For instance, it is known to engagetowable carts to a rear end of a landscaping vehicle's frame and inother instances to secure attachments such as grader blades or rotatablebrushes to a front end of the vehicle.

It would be desirable for an operator to be able to secure a widervariety of different attachments to these vehicles. Attachments such ashoppers, mulching attachments, edgers, aerators, leaf blowers, leafvacuums/collectors, snowplow blades or snow blowers would all be usefulto an operator. The problem is that while operators may desire to secureany and all of these devices to the front ends of their vehicles, all ofthese attachments are configured differently and typically requirecompletely different connectors to attach them to the vehicle's frame.Because of this, operators have to be highly selective as to whichattachments would be most useful to them and then install only thespecific connector components necessary for securing those particularattachments to the frame.

SUMMARY

It would be desirable to have a more universal connector for securing awider range of attachments to a front end of a vehicle's frame in aposition forward of the operator. There is therefore a need in the artfor an improved mounting assembly that may be utilized for this purpose.There is a further need for providing an improved mounting assembly thatdoes not require extensive retrofitting of existing vehicles and whichsimplifies the fabrication and assembly of new vehicles.

An apparatus, system and method of securing an attachment to a utilityvehicle, particularly a stand-on, zero-turn mower is disclosed herein.The apparatus includes an A-shaped mounting assembly having a base withfirst and second ends and a tubular member extending outwardly from thefirst end. The tubular member defines a bore that receives a shaftextending from the attachment. The mounting assembly is positionedvertically above a mower deck but on an opposite side of the mower'sframe relative thereto. The second end of the mounting assembly and partof the mower deck are secured to the frame using the same connectors. Ahydraulic actuator engages a forwardmost end of the assembly and isactuatable to raise or lower the assembly relative to the frame,pivoting the assembly about the connectors. The attachment and mowerdeck are substantially simultaneously operable to perform separatelandscaping tasks while the mower moves across a surface.

In one aspect, the invention may provide a system comprising a mowerhaving a frame with a plurality of wheels mounted thereon and the mowerhas a turn radius that approximates zero; a mower deck; a deck hangingassembly detachably engageable with the mower deck; at least oneconnector for securing the deck hanging assembly to the frame; whereinthe deck hanging assembly positions the mower deck beneath the frame;and a mounting assembly adapted to connect an attachment to the mower;wherein the at least one connector also secures part of the mountingassembly to the frame. The base and tubular member together may form anA-shaped frame where the tubular member comprises an apex of theA-shaped frame.

In another aspect, the invention may provide an assembly for mounting anattachment to a utility vehicle, said assembly comprising a base havinga first end and a second end; a connector adapted to secure the secondend to a frame of the vehicle in such a way that the base is pivotablerelative to the frame; and a tubular member extending outwardly from thefirst end of the base; said tubular member defining a bore therein thatis adapted to receive a shaft from the attachment therein.

In another aspect, the invention may provide a method of performinglandscaping tasks comprising providing a zero-turn radius mower having aframe; providing a mower deck suspended from the frame; providing amounting assembly detachably engaged with the frame and positionedgenerally vertically above the mower deck; positioning an attachment infront of a front end of the frame; maintaining the connection betweenthe mower deck and the frame; securing the attachment to the mowerutilizing the mounting assembly; moving the mower in a forward directionand the attachment leads the mower across a lawn (i.e., the attachmentcomprises the forwardmost part of the mower); activating the attachmentto perform a first landscaping task as the mower moves across the lawn;and activating the mower deck to perform a second landscaping task asthe mower moves across the lawn. In another aspect the first and secondlandscaping tasks are performed substantially simultaneously.

In yet a further aspect, the invention may provide a method ofinstalling a mounting assembly for detachable engagement of anattachment to a mower comprising providing a frame on the mower;providing a mower deck; providing the mounting assembly; securing afirst region of the mower deck to the frame using one or more firstconnectors; securing a second region of the mower deck to the frameusing one or more second connectors; securing the mounting assembly tothe frame using the same one or more second connectors that secure thesecond region of the mower deck to the frame.

In an additional aspect, the invention may provide a method ofinstalling a mounting assembly for engagement of an attachment to amower comprising providing a frame on the mower; providing the mountingassembly; providing connectors on the frame; said connectors beingpositioned and adapted to selectively engage a mower deck to the frame;and securing the mounting assembly to the frame using at least some ofthe connectors that are adapted to secure the mower deck to the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A sample embodiment of the invention is set forth in the followingdescription, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctlypointed out and set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a generic wheeled vehicle, specifically amower, with an attachment forward mounted on the frame by way of amounting assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the mower showing the mounting assemblypositioned proximate a front end of the frame and showing part of amower deck beneath the mounting assembly;

FIG. 3 is an exploded partial top view of the mower, the mountingassembly and the mower deck;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the mounting assembly shown alone;

FIG. 5 is a left side view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the highlighted region of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a left side view of the mower with the mounting assembly movedto a raised position, thereby raising the attachment connected thereto.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-9, there is shown a powered mower in accordancewith an aspect of the present invention, generally indicated at 10. Themower illustrated herein is a stand-on mower, i.e., the operator standson a platform instead of sitting on a seat. The mower is a zero-turnmower meaning that the wheels are mounted on the mower and are operablein such a manner that the mower has a turning radius that is close tozero.

It will be understood that the components and principles disclosedherein could be utilized on vehicles other than mowers and on vehicles,including mowers, that are not zero-turn radius vehicles but have widerturning radii and/or which are sit-on type vehicles instead of stand-onvehicles. Additionally, while the disclosure is directed to forwardmounting of attachments to a vehicle, i.e., mounting attachments so thatthey are located in front of the vehicle and in front of the operator,the same components and principles could be utilized for side-mountingof attachments or for rear-mounting of attachments to vehicles. Theterms “vehicle”, “utility vehicle” and “mower” used herein shouldtherefore be understood to encompass any wheeled vehicle to whichattachments may be engaged for performing a task. In the followingdescription the term “mower” will be utilized to represent all suchvehicles.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, mower 10 has a front end 10 a, a rear end 10b, a top 10 c, a bottom 10 d, a right side 10 e and a left side 10 f.The front end 10 a of the mower is that part of the mower which is infront of the operator when mower 10 is moving in the direction indicatedby arrow “A” (shown in FIG. 1). Front end 10 a and rear end 10 b definea longitudinal direction between them and a longitudinal axis of mower10 extends between front and rear ends 10 a, 10 b. Top 10 c and bottom10 d define a vertical direction between them. Right side 10 e and leftside 10 f define a lateral direction between them.

Referring to FIG. 2, mower 10 has a rigid frame 14 that includes a rightside member 14 a, a left side member 14 b, and a front member 14 c.Frame 14 also includes a rear frame member that extends between rightand left side members 14 a, 14 b but is not illustrated in the figures.Right and left side members 14 a, 14 b extend longitudinally fromproximate front end 10 a to proximate rear end 10 b. Front member 14 cand rear frame member extend laterally between right and left sidemembers 14 a, 14 b. Frame 14 further includes upstanding member(s) 14 dthat extend vertically upwardly and outwardly from right and left sidemembers 14 a, 14 b and from the rear frame member. Frame 14 may alsoinclude other cross-braces and members such as engine mounting members14 f (FIG. 2).

Mower 10 has wheels mounted on frame 14 in such a way that the mower'sturning radius approximates zero. Mower 10 has powered (or driven) rightand left rear wheels 16 operatively mounted on frame 14 via axle(s) 16a. A platform 18 is secured to frame 14 rearwardly of rear wheels 16.Platform 18 is provided for an operator to stand upon and may include asuspension system to make the stand-on ride for the operator morecomfortable. It will be understood that a seat may alternatively oradditionally be provided on mower 10 instead of platform 18 and thisseat would also be operatively engaged with frame 14.

Non-powered right and left front wheels 20 are mounted on right and leftmembers 14 a, 14 b, respectively. Each front wheel 20 may be acaster-type wheel that is operatively engaged with frame 14 via a wheelmounting assembly 22 which enables the wheel to pivot through 360degrees about an axis “X” (FIG. 1). Each front wheels 20 rotates aboutan axle 20 a. Mounting attachments 22 may include a locking mechanism tofix front wheels 20 in a particular orientation and prevent the wheelsfrom rotating about axis “X”. Wheels 16, 20 are positioned to engage asurface 24 and move mower 10 in a forward direction (arrow “A” inFIG. 1) or a rearward direction (opposite to arrow “A”) or to the leftor right.

Various other components of mower 10 are operatively engaged with ormounted on frame 14. The figures show a pad 19 mounted to frame member14 d that may be used by the operator to lean on when standing onplatform 18. Other components illustrated in the figures include anengine 26, an oil filter 28, and a control panel 30. Various othercomponents used in mowers 10 are well known in the art and are notillustrated in the attached figures for clarity. Control panel 30 isshown mounted on upstanding member 14 d of frame 14. By way ofillustration only control panel 30 includes hand-operable levers 32 anda joystick 34 for controlling various components on mower 10. Handles 33are also shown extending upwardly from control panel 30. Handles 33provide a place for an operator to hold on to during operation of mower10. Mower 10 also includes a hydraulic system for operating variouscomponents but only a cylinder 36 and piston 38 are shown in thefigures. It will be understood that hydraulic lines and electricalwiring will be utilized on mower 10 but these components have beenomitted from the figures for clarity of illustration.

Referring still to FIG. 2, a mower deck 40 is suspended beneath frame 14by a deck hanger assembly 42. A first part 42 a of deck hanger assembly42 is positioned adjacent right side member 14 a and a second part 42 bof deck hanger assembly 42 is positioned adjacent left side member 14 b.Each of first and second parts 42 a, 42 b includes a base plate 44, afront pivot bar 46 and a rear pivot bar 48. The front and rear pivotbars 46, 48 are spaced a distance from each other along base plate 44.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, front pivot bar 46 is secured to baseplate 44, to the adjacent right or left side member 14 a, 14 b, and tomower deck 40. A fastener assembly 50 secures each front pivot bar 46 toframe 14 and enables front pivot bar 46 to pivot relative thereto.Fastener assembly 50 includes a sleeve 50 a extending through anaperture in the adjacent one of right and left side members 14 a, 14 b.A pivot rod 50 b extends between the two sleeves 50 a (FIG. 2) and islocated rearwardly of front member 14 c. A fastener 52 secures frontpivot bar 46 to base plate 44 and fasteners 54 together with a chain 56secures front pivot bar 46 to mower deck 40.

Rear pivot bar 48 is secured to base plate 44, to the adjacent right orleft side member 14 a, 14 b and to mower deck 40. Rear pivot bar 48 isalso secured to an adjustment assembly 64 that is operable to manuallyraise or lower mower deck 40 relative to frame 14. Rear pivot bar 48 islocated a distance rearwardly of front pivot bar 46 along frame 14. Afastener assembly 58 secures each rear pivot bar 48 to one of right orleft side members 14 a, 14 b in such a way that rear pivot bar 48 isable to pivot relative to the side member 14 a, 14 b.

Each fastener assembly 58 may include a sleeve 58 a extending through anaperture in the associated right or left side members 14 a, 14 b. A bolt58 b is insertable through a bore of sleeve 58 a to secure rear pivotbar 48 to frame 14. Fastener 60 secures rear pivot bar 48 to base plate44. Fastener 64 secures rear pivot bar 48 to a flange 62 that extendsupwardly from mower deck 40.

Since pivot rod 50 b connects the two front pivot bars 46 together,motion in both of the first and second parts 42 a, 42 b of deck hangerassembly 42 is coordinated and in unison. Additionally, because thefirst and second parts 42 a, 42 b of deck hanger assembly 42 areconnected, initiating movement in any of the components of assembly 42will result in a related movement in the rest of the assembly. Mower 10also includes an adjustment assembly that utilizes the unitary movementof deck hanging assembly to adjust the position of mower deck 40relative to frame 14. The adjustment assembly includes an adjustablelever arm 65 that is operatively engaged with assembly 42. Lever arm 65may be mounted to frame member 14 d or an extension thereof and extendoutwardly from and form part of control panel 30. Lever arm 65 may be agenerally L-shaped member having a first and second section 65 a, 65 boriented at an angle relative to each other. First section 65 a isoperatively engaged with rear pivot arm 48 of assembly 42 via a linkage66. Fasteners 68 secure linkage 66 to lever arm 65 and rear pivot arm48. An adjustment plate 70 is provided on frame member 14 d proximatethe portion of lever arm 65 where first and second sections 65 a, 65 bintersect. Adjustment plate 70 defines a plurality of apertures 70 atherein spaced at intervals relative to each other. Apertures 70 a areselectively aligned with a hole defined in the second section 65 b oflever arm 65. A pin 71 is insertable through a selected one of apertures70 a and the hole in second section 65 b to lock lever arm 65 at anyparticular orientation. When pin 71 is withdrawn from aperture 70 a andthe aligned hole lever arm 65 is free to rotate about fastener 68 in adirection indicated by arrow “B” (FIG. 1) or in a direction opposite toarrow “B”. Pin 71 may be stored in a clip 73 when not in use.

In order to lower mower deck 40 downwardly away from a lowermost surface14 e (FIG. 7) of frame 14, pin 71 is withdrawn from plate 70. Theoperator grasps second section 65 b of lever arm 65 and moves the sameso that first section 65 a will rotate in the direction indicated byarrow “B” to a new position relative to adjustment plate 70. As thelever arm 65 moves the movement is transferred to linkage 66 and therebyto rear pivot arm 48. The movement created in linkage 66 causes rearpivot arm 48 to be rotated about axis “Y” (FIG. 3). This motion istransmitted to base plate 44, and front pivot arm 46 which pivots aboutfastener assembly 50 in the direction indicated by arrow “C” (FIG. 9).That motion is transferred to the rest of deck hanger assembly 42. As aresult, the mower deck 40 is moved downwardly in the direction of arrow“D” (FIG. 9) thus increasing the distance “H1” (FIG. 7) between mowerdeck 40 and surface 14 e of frame 14. As mower deck 40 moves downwardlythe distance “H2” between the underside 40 a of mower deck 40 and theground surface 24 is decreased bringing deck 40 into a position where itcan cut grass. Raising the mower deck 40 again simply requires reversalof the aforementioned steps. It should be noted that the overalldistance “H” (FIG. 7) between surface 14 e and ground surface 24 remainsessentially unchanged while mower deck's height relative to the surface14 e of frame 14 is selectively changeable.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, mower 10 includesa hydraulically-actuated mounting assembly 72 (FIGS. 1 and 2) forsecuring any one of a plurality of different attachments to mower 10.Mounting assembly 72 is positioned so that a selected attachment 74 issecured to mower 10 in a location in front of where the mower's operatorwill be standing or seated. FIGS. 1 and 9 illustrate an aerator as theattachment 74 that is secured by mounting assembly 72 to mower 10.Mounting assembly 72 comprises a generally A-shaped frame, referred toherein as A-frame 76. A-frame 76 is operatively engaged with right andleft side members 14 a, 14 b of frame 14. A-frame 76 is also engagedwith cylinder 36 and piston 38 and is operated therewith.

Referring to FIGS. 3-9, A-frame 76 generally includes a first region 76a and a second region 76 b. When viewed from above, as in FIG. 4, firstregion 76 a may have a generally truncated-triangular shape and secondregion 76 b may have a generally rectangular shape. Second region 76 bessentially comprises the apex of the A-shape of this A-shaped member 76and a portion of first region 76 a essentially comprises the base andthe third sections 82 c, 84 c comprise the pair of spaced-apart “legs”of the A-shape. The legs extend outwardly from the opposite end of theA-shape from the apex of the A-shape.

First region 76 includes a first plate 78 and a second plate 80 that arepositioned substantially parallel to each other and aligned with eachother. A space 79 (FIG. 7) is defined between first and second plates78, 80. First plate 78 has a first end 78 a and a second end 78 b. WhenA-frame 76 is installed on mower 10, first end 78 a of plate 78 is theforwardmost end of first plate 78 and second end 78 b is therearwardmost end thereof. Second end 78 b may include a concavely curvedsection 78 c that may be provided to give improved clearance betweenA-frame 76 and components such as engine 26. First plate 78 also has anouter surface 78 d, an inner surface 78 e, a first side 78 f, and asecond side 78 g.

Similarly, second plate 80 has a first end 80 a and a second end 80 b.When A-frame 76 is installed on mower 10, first end 80 a is theforwardmost end of second plate 80 and second end 80 b is therearwardmost end of second plate 80. Second end 80 b may also include aconcavely curved section 80 c provided to give improved clearancebetween A-frame 76 and components such as engine 26. Second plate 80 hasan outer surface 80 d, an inner surface 80 e, a first side 808 f, and asecond side 80 g. The various sides and ends of first and second plates78, 80 are aligned with each other and space 79 is defined between theinner surfaces 78 e and 80 e.

Each plate 78, 80 may be of the truncated-triangular shape that dictatesthe overall shape of first region 76 when viewed from above. As bestseen in FIG. 5, a region of each plate 78, 80 proximate first ends 78 a,80 a may be angled relative to the rest of the respective plate. Inparticular, the region proximate first end 78 a, 80 a is oriented at anangle α relative to the rest of that plate. This angle aids in helpingkeep a strong and stable contact between an attachment that will beengaged with A-frame 76 and the A-frame itself. This will be discussedlater herein.

A-frame 76 also includes a first side wall 82 and a second side wall 84.Side walls 82, 84 are substantially identical to each other and areengaged with first and second plates 78, 80 in an orientation that makesthem mirror images of each other. First side wall 82 includes a firstsection 82 a, a second section 82 b and a third section 82 c. First andsecond sections 82 a, 82 b are oriented at an angle β (FIG. 4) andsecond and third sections 82 b, 82 c are oriented at an angle θ relativeto each other. First and third sections 82 a and 82 c may be parallel toeach other in which case angle β and angle θ may be of the samemagnitude. Similarly, second side wall 84 includes a first section 84 a,a second section 84 b and a third section 84 c. First and secondsections 84 a, 84 b are oriented at an angle β (FIG. 4) and second andthird sections 84 b, 84 c are oriented at an angle θ relative to eachother. First and third sections 84 a and 84 c may be parallel to eachother in which case angle β and angle θ may be of the same magnitude.

First and second side walls 82, 84 are positioned between first andsecond plates 78, 80. In particular, second sections 82 b, 84 b arecaptured between the inner surfaces 78 e, 80 e and are welded orotherwise secured thereto. First sections 82 a, 84 a extend outwardlybeyond first ends 78 a, 80 a in a first direction. As may be seen inFIG. 4, the first sections 82 a, 84 a are of a greater width that therest of the first and second side walls 82, 84. These wider firstsections 82 a, 84 a reinforce the forwardmost end of that part ofA-frame 76 which will engage attachment 74. First sections 82 a, 82 bare laterally spaced apart from each other and oriented substantiallyparallel to each other and generally at right angles to first ends 78 a,80 a. Third sections 82 c, 84 c extend outwardly beyond second ends 78b, 80 b of first and second plates 78, 80 in a second direction. Thirdsections 82 c, 84 c are laterally spaced from each other and orientedsubstantially parallel to each other and generally at right angles tosecond ends 78 b, 80 b. Second sections 82 b, 84 b are oriented with thesections tapering inwardly toward each other from second ends 78 b, 80 btoward first ends 78 a, and 80 a. When A-frame 76 is installed on mower10, first sections 82 a, 84 b and third sections 82 c, 84 c may beoriented generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of mower 10. Thirdsections 82 c, 84 c essentially form the “legs” of the A-shape ofA-frame 76.

Second region 76 b of A-frame 76 comprises a tubular member 88. Tubularmember 88 comprises a standard two-inch hitch receiver that is generallysquare in cross-section (FIG. 6). Tubular member 88 has a first end 88 aand a second end 88 b that is remote from the first ends 78 a, 80 a ofplates 78, 80. First end 88 a is received in the space 79 between firstand second plates 78, 80 and the remaining length of tubular member 88extends outwardly from first ends 78 a, 80 a of plates 78, 80. Secondend 88 b of tubular member defines a bore 88 c that extends from anopening in first end 88 a to an opening in second end 88 b. First end 88a preferably is fabricated as a thick collar that bounds and defines theopening into bore 88 c and is effectively reinforced because of itsthickness. Tubular member 88 also has a first wall 88 d (FIG. 5), asecond wall 88 e, a third wall 88 f (FIG. 4), and a fourth wall 88 g.The width of second region 76 b as measured between the exteriorsurfaces of third and fourth walls 88 f, 88 g is substantially equal tothe distance between the interior surfaces of first and second sections82 a, 84 a of side walls 82, 84. Second region 76 b is inserted betweenthe interior surfaces of first and second sections 82 a, 84 a so thatthese interior surfaces of the side walls flank and abut the exteriorsurfaces of third and fourth walls 88 f, 88 g. Second region 76 b issecured to first and second sections 82 a, 84 a in any suitable mannersuch as by welding. First and second sections 82 a, 84 a reinforce thethird and fourth sides 88 f, 88 g of second region 78 b. This aids inhelping the forwardmost region of A-frame 76 to withstand lateral forcesbrought to bear thereon when A-frame 76 is engaged with attachment 74and is used to manipulate and maneuver that attachment.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an aperture 90 defined in first sections 82 a, 84 aof first and second side walls 82, 84 and extending through third andfourth walls 88 f, 88 g of second region 76 b. Aperture 90 intersectsbore 88 c of second region 76 b. A second aperture 92 is defined infirst sections 82 a, 84 a a distance rearwardly of aperture 90. Aperture92 is located in first sections 82 a, 84 a proximate the transition zonefrom first sections 82 a, 84 a to second sections 82 b, 84 b. Aperture92 is further located in a region of the first sections 82 a, 84 a thatis positioned within the forward end of first region 76 a of A-frame 76and adjacent the angled transition zone of first and second plates 78,80.

A slot 100 is defined partially in first region 76 a and partially insecond region 76 b of A-frame 76. Slot 100 is comprised of alignedapertures that are defined in each of the first and second plates 78, 80and rearwardmost portions of first sections 82 a, 84 a. These aperturesextend between the respective outer and inner surfaces 78 d, 78 e and 80d, 80 e of the first and second plates 78, 80. Slot 100 may be orientedgenerally parallel to the longitudinal axis of mower 10 when A-frame 76is installed thereon. Slot 100 includes a curved end wall at a locationthat is generally central on each plate 78, 80. The curvature isprovided in this end wall to accommodate the curved side wall ofcylinder 36 when A-frame 76 receives cylinder 36 and piston 38therethrough as will be discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, A-frame 76 is mounted to frame 14 in such a waythat A-frame 76 is positioned generally between but above right and leftside members 14 a, 14 b of frame 14 and between but above the frontmember 14 c and the rear frame member of mower 10. As such, A-frame 76is positioned above a lowermost portion of frame 14 where that lowermostportion includes lower surface 14 e below which mower deck 40 issuspended. Each third section 82 c, 84 c is secured by one of fasteners58 to the adjacent right or left side member 14 a, 14 b. These same twofasteners 58 are utilized to secure rear pivot arms 48 of deck hangerassembly 42 to frame 14. Because sleeve 58 a and bolt 58 b are to beutilized for securing both mower deck 40 and A-frame 76, sleeves 58 aand bolts 58 b may need to be longer than would be the case if onlymower deck 40 is to be secured to frame 14. Effectively, A-frame 76pivots at the location where it is hitched or connected to frame 14.

A-frame 76 is therefore engaged to frame 14 utilizing a component thatis utilized for another purpose on mower 10. In particular, A-frame 76may be engaged with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) components.There is thus no need to retrofit mowers that have a manual system foradjusting a mower deck as the pre-existing components which are used tosecure the mower deck to the frame may be utilized to secure the A-frameto the mower. In order to secure A-frame 76 to right and left sidemembers 14 a, 14 b the shaft of each elongate bolt 58 b is insertedthrough hole 86 of one of the third sections 82 c, 84 c. Bolt 58 b isthen inserted through the bore of the associated sleeve 58 a and securedthereto by threading or by the use of a nut/washer combination.

When fasteners 58 are engaged with A-frame 76 a portion of theforwardmost end of A-frame 76 extends outwardly beyond front member 14 cand rests thereon when A-frame 76 is in an at-rest position (FIG. 1).Fasteners 58 act as pivot rods for the rearwardmost end of A-frame 76and when the forwardmost end of A-frame 76 is raised vertically awayfrom front member 14 c, as will be described hereafter, A-frame 76 iscaused to pivot about the axis “Y” extending along bolt shafts 58 b.A-frame 76 is only secured to frame 14 by fasteners 58 and thosefasteners provide the axis for rotation of A-frame 76 between theat-rest position (FIG. 1) and the operational position (FIG. 9).

Hydraulic cylinder 36 and piston 38 are positioned so as to extendthrough slot 100 of A-frame 76 (FIGS. 2, 7 and 8). Cylinder 36 isoriented so as to extend upwardly and outwardly away from first plate78. Piston 38 extends outwardly and downwardly from a collar 36 a (FIG.7) on the lower end of cylinder 36. A pair of mounting brackets 102(FIG. 3) are provided on a rear surface of front member 14 c. Eachbracket 102 defines an aperture 104 therein that is oriented at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of mower 10. The apertures 104 in thetwo brackets 102 are laterally aligned with each other. A hole in a freeend 38 a of piston 38 is alignable with apertures 104 when piston 38 andcylinder 36 are received through slot 100. A fastener 106 is receivedthrough these aligned apertures 104 and the hole in free end 38 a andthereby secures piston 38 to brackets 102 and thus to frame 14.

Collar 36 a of cylinder 36 defines a pair of aligned and opposedapertures 108 therein, one of which is shown in FIG. 7. It will beunderstood that the second of the pair of apertures 108 is defined inthe opposite side of the collar from the location of the aperture 108illustrated in FIG. 7. When A-frame 76 is mounted to frame 14 viafasteners 58 and piston 38 and cylinder 36 are positioned within slot100 and secured to brackets 102, apertures 108 in collar 36 a will alignwith holes 92 in A-frame 76. Each aperture 108 is threaded and athreaded fastener 110 is inserted into each through-hole 92 in A-frame76 and subsequently into the adjacent threaded aperture 108 in collar 36a. Fasteners 110 therefore secure cylinder 36 and A-frame 76 together.Because cylinder 36 and A-frame 76 are engaged together they will tendto move in unison.

It will be understood that instead of piston 38 being engaged with frame14, cylinder 36 may be engaged with front member 14 c and piston 38 mayextend upwardly and outwardly therefrom. In this instance A-frame 76 maybe engaged with collar 36 a of cylinder or with free end of piston 38.If this configuration of A-frame 76, cylinder 36 and piston 38 isselected other changes such as the connection point of the cylinder 36with frame 14 and the orientation of cylinder 36 and piston 38 willlikely need to be adjusted to ensure that A-frame 76 is able to pivotabout the axis “Y” extending through fasteners 58.

Although not illustrated herein, it will be understood that cylinder 36and piston 38 are in fluid communication with the hydraulic system ofmower 10, particularly with a hydraulic fluid reservoir. When thehydraulic system is actuated, piston 38 is caused to extend furtheroutwardly from cylinder 36 in the direction of arrow “F” (FIG. 9). Inresponse to the extension of piston 38, cylinder 36 will move upwardlyin the direction of arrow “E” (FIG. 1. As cylinder 36 moves upwardly theforwardmost end of A-frame 76 connected to cylinder 36 will move inunison therewith and the forward end of A-frame 76 will be raisedvertically and away from front member 14 c in the direction of arrow“E”. Since the rearwardmost end of A-frame 76 is pivotally attached byfasteners 58 to frame 14, A-frame 76 will pivot about the axes “Y”extending along fasteners 58. Conversely, if piston 38 is withdrawn intocylinder 36 in the direction of arrow “E”, cylinder 36 will move in thedirection “F” and, consequently, the forward end of A-frame 76 will berotated back down toward a top surface of front member 14 c. Thehydraulic system may therefore be used to control the raising orlowering of A-frame 76 relative to front member 14 c.

As indicated previously herein, A-frame 76 is used to secure attachment74 to mower 10. Attachment 74 is provided with a shaft assembly 112 thatextends outwardly and rearwardly therefrom. Shaft assembly 112 includesan end 112 a (FIG. 3) complementary in shape and size to bore 88 c ofA-frame 76. As best seen in FIG. 7, shaft end 112 a defines a series ofspaced-apart holes 112 b therein. Shaft end 112 a is inserted into bore88 c and one of the holes 112 b is brought into alignment withthrough-hole 90 of A-frame 76. A pin 114 is inserted through thesealigned holes 112 b, 90, thereby locking attachment 74 to A-frame 76 andthereby to mower 10. The connection between attachment 74 and A-frame 76is sufficiently strong enough that when A-frame 76 is pivoted in thedirection indicated by arrow “G” (FIG. 9), i.e., from the at-restposition (FIG. 1) to an active position (FIG. 9), attachment 74 islifted upwardly in the direction indicated by arrow “I” and moved adistance upwardly away from surface 24. It should be noted that A-frame76 when pivoted to the maximum degree is able to lift attachment throughabout 28″ off surface 24. The positioning of fasteners 58 causes theweight during lifting operations to be shifted rearwardly andeffectively on rear wheels 16 and therefore gives greater traction tothese wheels.

It is also contemplated that some type of receiver or adaptive linkingcomponent could be inserted into bore 88 c of A-frame 76 instead ofshaft 112 and that this receiver could connect directly to attachment 74or to a shaft 112 extending outwardly from attachment 74. The receiveror adaptive linking component could therefore aid in securing a widervariety of attachments to A-frame 76 and thereby to mower 10.

When piston 38 is retracted back into cylinder 36 then A-frame 76 pivotsin the opposite direction to arrow “G” and back into the at-restposition the attachment 74 moved in the opposite direction to arrow “I”and back into contact with ground surface 24.

So, any and all attachments 74 that are to be engaged with mower 10,particularly in a position forward of the operator, need only beprovided with a shaft 112 sized to be received in the forward end ofA-frame 76. The system disclosed herein may be used to perform a varietyof landscaping tasks simply by changing the attachment 74 engaged withmower 10.

In a first instance, mower 10 may be set up simply to mow a lawn. Ifthis is the landscaping task that is to be performed with mower 10 thenthe mounting assembly, namely A-frame 76, remains engaged with frame 14but is not used to secure any attachments 74 to mower 10. The operatorwill lower mower deck 40 into a position ready to cut grass by engaginglever arm 65 as described earlier herein. When mower deck 40 is moveddownwardly in the direction of arrow “D” to a degree sufficient to bringblades in mower deck 40 into contact with the grass to be cut, theoperator will actuate mower deck 40 using control panel 30 to rotateblades provided therein. Mower 10 may then be driven across a section ofsurface 24 in the direction of arrow “A” (FIG. 1) and the actuated mowerdeck 40 will cut the grass.

In other instances it may be desirable to perform more than onelandscaping task substantially at the same time. For instance, theoperator may wish to cut the grass and simultaneously aerate the lawn orblow leaves from in front of mower 10 or vacuum up such leaves orutilize a brush cutter. In these instances the operator will select theappropriate one of the attachments 74 and engage the same with mower 10.The operator will position attachment 74 in front of front member 14 c,grasp the shaft 112 extending outwardly and rearwardly from attachment74 and insert end 112 a of shaft 112 into the opening to bore 88 c inA-frame 76. It will be understood that A-frame 76 may be in the at-restposition when shaft 112 is inserted into bore 88 c. This aids inensuring that any load resulting from engaging attachment 74 to A-frame76 will not be transferred to A-frame 76 before the two components aresufficiently secured together. When hole 112 b in shaft 112 is alignedwith aperture 90 in A-frame 76, pin 114 is inserted therethrough to lockattachment 74 to A-frame 76.

In other instances an attachment may need to be secured to mower 10using A-frame 76 but the attachment may have a shaft positioned at adifferent height than is illustrated in FIG. 1. If, for example, theshaft of this other attachment is located a distance vertically abovefront member 14 c then the operator will need to elevate the forwardmostend of A-frame 76 in order to receive this higher shaft into the same.The angle α between the forwardmost region of A-frame 76 and the rest ofthe A-frame 76 enables the A-frame to present a substantially horizontalsecond region 76 b for receiving the end of the attachment's shaft intothe bore 88 c. This is the case no matter the height at which theforwardmost end of A-frame 76 needs to be positioned at in order toreceive that shaft into bore 88 c. If the forwardmost region is notangled in this manner it might be somewhat difficult to engageparticular attachments to mower 10 and subsequently manipulate thoseattachments using A-frame 76.

Once attachment 74 is operatively engaged with mower 10 via A-frame 76the operator will lower mower deck 40 into position and will activateboth the mower deck 40 and attachment 74. Mower 10 is then ready toperform more than one landscaping task at a time. The operator willengage engine 26 and activate the hydraulic system so as to be able toraise or lower attachment 74 as needed. The raising or lowering ofattachment 74 may be controlled by manipulating the appropriate levers32, joystick 34 or other controls on control panel 30. It will beunderstood that if attachment 74 is a powered attachment, then wiring onmower 10 will be connected to the attachment's wiring when shaft 112 isengaged with A-frame 76. (All the wiring and hydraulic tubing has beenomitted from the drawings for clarity of illustration and because thoseskilled in the art would understand how to link and power the variouscomponents of the system.) Mower 10 may then be driven across surface 24cutting grass using mower deck 40 and simultaneously aerating the lawn.

It is possible for an operator to perform two landscaping taskssimultaneously or intermittently as required in only a single pass overthe lawn. For example, if a leaf blower is attached to A-frame 76, theleaf blower may be actuated to blow leaves from in front of mower 10 asmower 10 moves down a stretch of lawn. Mower 10 will also cut thefreshly blown grass as mower 10 continues to move down that stretch oflawn. In another example, the operator may aerate the lawn with anaerator 74 as mower 10 travels along a stretch of grass and mower deck40 will mow the lawn immediately after it has been aerated as mower 10continues to drive down the stretch of lawn.

Mower 10 may need to traverse an obstacle, such as a brick pathway, inthe stretch of lawn that is being simultaneously aerated and mowed in asingle pass. A forward attachment 74, such as the aerator, may causedamage to such a pathway. In this instance, the operator willtemporarily actuate cylinder 36 so as to pivot the front end of A-frame76 away from front member 14 c and thereby lift attachment 74 upwardlyaway from surface 24. In this manner contact between attachment 74 andsurface 24 is broken. Mower deck 40 will continue to mow but, of course,because no grass is present on the pathway nothing will be cut by mowerdeck 40. As soon as attachment 74 clears the pathway, the operator willactuate the hydraulic system to lower A-frame 76 and thereby attachment74 back toward surface 24 so that the simultaneous landscaping tasks maybe performed. Because mower 10 may be a zero-turn mower, an entire lawnmay be aerated and mowed in approximately the same time that it wouldtake to perform only one of these landscaping tasks. The ability toperform two landscaping tasks at essentially the same time will saveboth time and money.

In another instance mower deck 40 may be disengaged from frame 14 andA-frame 76 alone will be engaged therewith. This may occur, for example,if it is winter and mower 10 is to be used as a snowplow or snowblowerby engaging a snowplow blade or blower to A-frame 76. Obviously, mowerdeck 40 would not be needed or even desirable under these circumstancesand may simply be disconnected from frame 14.

While A-frame 76 has been described herein as being fabricated from aplurality of different component pieces (plates 78, 80, side walls 82,84 which essentially comprise a base and a tubular member 88 thatextends outwardly from one end of this base) it will be understood thatthe frame 76 may be fabricated as a single, unitary or monolithiccomponent.

It will further be understood that A-frame 76 may be operated by anactuator that is not hydraulically driven but is instead electrically orpneumatically driven. It is therefore contemplated that in the instanceswhere the hydraulic system is not utilized for actuating A-frame 76, theA-frame 76 will be operatively engaged to the alternative actuatingsystem and will be pivoted by that alternative actuating system so as toraise and lower any attachment 74 engaged with A-frame 76.

It will also be understood that the A-frame could be differently shapedand instead of having an A-shape the frame could be rectangular or anyother desired shape and be operable in the same manner as describedherein. It is contemplated that any differently shaped mounting assemblycould be engaged with mower 10 in the manner described herein and beoperated as described herein.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration set out herein are an exampleand the invention is not limited to the exact details shown ordescribed.

1. A method of operating a mower comprising: engaging a deck hangingassembly to two laterally-spaced-apart frame members of a frame of amower utilizing a plurality of posts carried by one of the frame membersand the deck hanging assembly; engaging a mower deck to the deck hangingassembly; positioning the mower deck beneath a portion of the frame ofthe mower; operatively engaging a hydraulic system on the mower with thedeck hanging assembly; and raising or lowering the mower deck relativeto the portion of the frame using the deck hanging assembly; wherein theraising or lowering is manual in a first instance and is hydraulic in asecond instance.
 2. The method as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising: pivotally securing a part of a mounting assembly to thelaterally-spaced-apart frame members using the same plurality of poststhat secure the deck hanging assembly to the frame members.
 3. Themethod as defined in claim 2, further comprising: engaging a landscapingattachment to the mounting assembly.
 4. The method as defined in claim3, further comprising: pivoting the mounting assembly during aperformance of a landscaping task using the landscaping attachment. 5.The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the pivoting of the mountingassembly includes pivoting the mounting assembly about the sameplurality of posts.
 6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein theproviding of the mower includes providing a zero-turn mower.
 7. Themethod as defined in claim 1, further comprising: engaging an end of apivot rod provided on the deck hanging assembly with the hydraulicsystem.
 8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the hydraulicsystem includes a hydraulic cylinder and piston, and the method includesengaging the end of the pivot rod with a piston of a hydraulic cylinderand piston.
 9. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprisingaligning a hole in an end of the piston with an aperture in a tabextending radially outwardly from the pivot rod.
 10. The method asdefined in claim 9, further comprising rotating the tab and thereby thepivot rod in a first direction when the piston is extended outwardlyfrom the cylinder; and rotating the tab and thereby the pivot rod in asecond direction when the piston is retracted into the cylinder.
 11. Themethod as defined in claim 1, further comprising: engaging an adjustmentassembly with the deck hanging assembly; and manually moving the deckhanging assembly using the adjustment assembly.
 12. The method asdefined in claim 11, further comprising: moving the mower deck in unisonwith the deck hanging assembly.
 13. The method as defined in claim 11,further comprising: engaging a lever arm of the adjustment assembly withthe frame of the mower; and positioning an end of the lever arm withinreach of an operator of the mower.
 14. The method as defined in claim13, further comprising: moving the end of the lever arm in a firstdirection to raise the mower deck relative to the frame; and moving theend of the lever arm in a second direction to lower the mower deckrelative to the frame.
 15. The method as defined in claim 14, whereinthe moving of the end of the lever arm in one of the first direction andthe second direction occurs while the operator is operating the mower.16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the moving of the end ofthe lever arm in one of the first direction and the second directionoccurs while the operator is standing on a platform provided on theframe of the mower.
 17. The method as defined in claim 14, furthercomprising: selecting an orientation of the lever arm relative to theframe; and locking the lever arm in the selected orientation.
 18. Themethod as defined in claim 13, further comprising: connecting the leverarm to the deck hanging assembly using a linkage assembly.
 19. Themethod as defined in claim 3, further comprising: positioning thelandscaping attachment forwardly of a front end of the mower; andengaging a shaft extending outwardly from the landscaping attachmentwith an A-shaped frame of the mounting assembly.
 20. The method asdefined in claim 19, further comprising: inserting the shaft into atubular region at an apex of the A-shaped frame; and pivotally securinga pair of spaced-apart legs of the A-shaped frame to thelaterally-spaced-apart frame members using the same plurality of poststhat secure the deck hanging assembly to the frame members.